11. Points 45-47; 4:48 Remaining, 3rd Quarter
Holy hell that jab step is absolutely vicious. One of the best things about Kobe when he was at his peak like this (as I’ve said) is how lethal he was on the baseline offensively. However, one of the best things about that was how Bryant used that to his advantage whenever he was attacking on the wing. The defender here is so afraid that Kobe is going to go to work on the baseline that he bites hard on the jab step, allowing Bryant to knock down the jumper right in his eye.
10. Points 7-8; 3:51 Remaining, 1st Quarter
I love the fake that Kobe uses here to split two defenders to get the room to have a look at a lay-up. The turn towards the lane only to roll in between the defenders and get to the block is just gorgeous. Kobe working his pivot foot has always been one of his most underrated parts of his game and this is a prime example of why he was so dangerous with it.
9. Points 27-28; 10:43 Remaining, 3rd Quarter
The Raptors really never stood a chance at stopping Kobe at getting into the lane with the move that he uses right here. Watching it again and again and I’m still not sure how Bryant uses the angle that he does to slice through the defense and have a look at the rim. But really, that’s the magic of Kobe on this night. He was doing things that were beyond conventional logic.
Next: No. 8-7